On September 11 of 2013, DPLF and the Legal Defense Institute (Instituto de Defensa Legal) (IDL), organized in Lima, Peru, a roundtable to analyze and discuss the challenges of applying pre-trial detention by its precautionary and exceptional nature in a climate of pressure that affects the independence of judges. The event was attended by 30 participants, including government officials, judges and journalists. It was facilitated by DPLF Senior Fellow, Luis Pásara, who also shared with the participants DPLF’s publication Insufficient Judicial Independence, distorted pre-trial detention: The Cases of Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Those there present discussed more broadly the results revealed in this publication and debated proposed solutions to strengthen the independence of judges and the role of the press as not only a threat to that independence, but also as a guarantor and as a means to demand accountability. They coincided on the view that the government must not launch messages that can interfere with the judiciary. There was also consensus on the view that the judiciary must improve its communication mechanisms and policies by creating the position of Judicial Spokesperson, charged with communicating and explaining judicial decisions to the general public.
See the event's program here (Available in Spanish)